When you begin treatment at an Ohio rehab center, one of the first things you’ll discover is that visitation will be restricted. You probably won’t be able to receive visitors for the first few weeks of treatment. While you will miss your family and other loved ones, this is a time for you to focus more fully on your treatment.
Once you have adjusted to the recovery program and have started to show progress, your close family members will be permitted to visit. In fact, there will likely come a time at which your rehab caregivers invite your family members to participate in the recovery process. As you struggled with substance abuse, you probably grew apart from your family. You may even have alienated your loved ones, causing strain on your relationships. Addiction treatment offers an opportunity to repair those relationships, so you can rebuild a strong family support structure. By participating in family therapy sessions, you and your close loved ones can begin rebuilding the trust you once had in one another.
Family Therapy Begins With Visitations
Once you have been in an Ohio rehab facility for awhile, your caregivers will notify you that you can begin receiving visitors. Typically, visitations will be restricted to close family members, although restrictions on who can visit will vary from facility to facility. Visits from your family members will help you get reacquainted with them, so you can begin to heal any damaged relationships. Although this won’t involve any formal therapy, it is an opportunity for you to work on making amends to those closest to you. While family therapy will become an important part of your treatment process, you will first have to begin to feel comfortable with your family members. The opposite is also true. While your counselors will have instructed your loved ones on what should and shouldn’t be discussed, they may still feel uncomfortable around you. Over time, this uneasiness will fade and you will be able to communicate more casually with your loved ones.
What is Family Therapy Really Like?
Family therapy usually goes through a few different stages, progressing towards healthier familial relationships. To begin, the therapist will invite everyone involved with the recovering addict to participate in a group therapy session. This initial session will provide a forum for each family member to express the problems with their relationships. It will also give the therapist an opportunity to see how the various individuals interact with one another. This can provide important insights that will help the therapist guide the future family therapy sessions.
As opposed to placing blame solely on the addict’s shoulders, family therapy will be used to provide greater insights into the interrelationships. For instance, the therapist may take the time to help each family member see how their words or actions affect others in the family. These sessions will also help your family members understand what’s involved in addiction recovery, so they won’t unknowingly make your sobriety more difficult to maintain. As family therapy draws to a close, your therapist may refer some of your family members to other therapists for individual therapy. While one reason for family therapy is to help you work on your relationships in recovery, this is also an opportunity for your loved ones to get the help they may need.
How Does Family Therapy Benefit Recovering Addicts?
There are many ways that family therapy benefits recovering addicts, starting with keeping them motivated to continue recovery. As they begin to reconnect with their loved ones, they will feel inspired to do well and earn the trust and respect that may have been lost. Additionally, it provides a way for the family to open up and learn about the addiction experience from different points of view. This helps the addict discuss the problems that may have led to his or her substance abuse more openly.
When addicts struggle with addiction, they often become secretive and distance themselves from family members. Therapy provides a forum for discussing those issues. As a whole, the family will also learn how to communicate more effectively. In the past, conflict may have been caused by inefficient communication, so therapy will focus on teaching each family member to share their thoughts and feelings more clearly. Developing listening skills will also help improve the lines of communication. If you’re struggling with addiction, getting help soon will enable you to live a healthier life. Call our counselors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 123-456-7890. We can answer any additional questions you have about treatment, or help you get started on the road to recovery.